Abarth launches the new 124 Spider hard top for use in Italian Rallying during 2017.

The brilliant new Abarth 124 rally will be one of the highlights of the Abarth stand at this week’s (12-15 January) Autosport International 2017 show.

The red and yellow liveried, hard-top rally car will make a welcome addition to the Abarth stand’s line-up, displaying its irresistible blend of great looks, lightweight chassis, advanced racing technology and 300hp twin cam turbo direct injection engine.

The Abarth 124 rally is a real sports car, set up and tuned directly by Abarth and sold race-ready to interested teams or individuals. This year, the Abarth 124 rally Trophy organised by Abarth will consist of seven rallies* – six on road and one on loose surface – all within the Italian Rally Championship.

The rear wheel drive 124 rally has a character and uniqueness of its own, and features:

• A lightweight set-up with a perfect weight distribution
• A powerful and reliable high performance engine
• Six-speed sequential gearbox with paddle shift
• Mechanical self-locking differential
• Quick turn in with no understeer
• Superb traction in every condition
• Ease of management for teams, with competitive running costs

Alongside the 124 rally, Abarth’s show stand (Hall 20, Stand 2660) will also reveal the new Abarth 595 Elaboration kits: an Abarth 595 145hp will feature, fitted with a Kit Elaborazione 160hp.

This kit is a new performance upgrade pack which allows customers to boost the power of their existing 145hp Abarth 595 up to 160hp through an ECU upgrade. The pack also contains a series of uprated components to further enhance the car’s performance, including:

• BMC air filter
• 4 x Koni shock absorbers
• 4 x Red Eibach lowered springs
• Front Ferodo HP 1000/1 brake pads
• Exterior Abarth Elaborazione badging

Additional Abarth kits and accessories will also be shown, including an upgrade pack for the 595 Turismo 165hp.The Kit Elaborazione 180hp boosts power from 165hp to 180hp and in addition to the ECU upgrade, includes the following uprated components:

• 2 x front Koni shock absorbers
• 2 x front floating drilled Brembo brake discs with calipers
• Front Ferodo HP 1000/1 brake pads
• Exterior Abarth Elaborazione badging

Meanwhile, outside Autosport International’s main exhibition hall, visitors will have the opportunity to appreciate the dynamic abilities of the Abarth 595 first hand in the Abarth Autotest.

“Abarth and Autosport International are a perfect match,” says Gerry Southerington, brand manager, Abarth UK. ”Autosport International is the ideal venue to launch our new Elaboration kits and we are really pleased to be able to offer visitors the opportunity to get behind the wheel of an Abarth 595 in our Autotest”

Abarth prices start at £15,090 OTR for the 595 1.4 TJet 145hp Manual rising to £22,290 OTR for the 1.4 TJet 595C Competizione 180hp Manual.

2017 calendar of Abarth 124 rally Trophy Events:

19 March	40th Rally del Ciocco
2 April	64th Rallye Sanremo
23 April	101st Targa Florio
14 May	24th Rally Adriatico
4 June	50th Rally del Salento
17 September	Rally di Roma Capitale
15 October	35th Rally Due Valli

Hyundai’s IONIQ has been awarded Best Small Hatch at the UK Car of the Year Awards 2017.

• Hyundai’s IONIQ, the world’s first car offering three electrified powertrains, has been awarded Best Small Hatch at the UK Car of the Year Awards 2017
• IONIQ praised for better driving and visual appeal than both Prius and Leaf
• Recognised for being the pioneer of offering three eco drivetrains in one stylish body

The IONIQ has been awarded Best Small Hatch at the UK Car of the Year Awards 2017, beating competition from the Renault Megane and MINI Clubman.

The IONIQ received praise from all the COTY judges for its green powertrains, combined with a chassis that delivers a good driving experience and its stylish body design. UK COTY judges said:

“IONIQ scores for its choice of three good eco drivetrains and is also decent to drive, with a good ride and refinement.” Paul Hudson

“Hyundai has produced a solid model to take on the competitive segment.” Olivia Gauch

“It’s an intelligent proposition for its flexible electric technology – and the design is edgy enough to reflect this.” Nargess Banks

“Technologically pioneering in terms of the range of powertrains, and the car is stylish and without the compromises offered by other alternative-fuelled vehicles.” Paul Barker

“Out-Priuses the Prius with a three-car range in a single swoop. A very impressive first effort.” Nat Barnes

“The fact it offers three greener powertrains is a masterstroke. Why has nobody done this before? A great reputation for reliability, decent real-world economy from the petrol engine and looks that are sufficient to make a statement without looking polarising.” Keith Jones

“With hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full electric options, the IONIQ takes on the Toyota Prius (hybrid & plug-in) and Nissan Leaf (EV only) and arguably offers greater attributes than both – from lower prices to better driving and visual appeal.” Guy Bird

Tony Whitehorn, President and CEO, Hyundai Motor UK said “IONIQ has only been available since October yet has already received praise for its eco credentials and also its more mainstream capabilities. The award for Best Small Hatch from the UK COTY judges once again proves that Hyundai is offering exactly what the market wants – eco-friendly vehicles that drive well and look good that are also cost effective to run.”

Ioniq – along with 11 other winning cars – will now go forward to a final category to decide the overall UK Car of the Year 2017. The winner will be announced on 24th February 2017.

Nissan celebrates ten years of Qashqai with a host of special offers to tempt the buyer.

To mark the 10^th anniversary of one its most successful models, the Qashqai, Nissan is running a special sales offer this January with up to £1254 in savings on the popular crossover.

Available on all grades, the offer includes an additional £750 Nissan Deposit Contribution on 3-year finance packages (on top of existing £1,500 deposit contributions for up to £2,250 deposit contribution) as well as 3 years free of charge servicing – a £349 saving.

The Crossover Pack, which includes contrast colour front and rear styling plates, is also available for a reduced price of £195, down from £350 – a saving of £155.

An example of the offer, a Qashqai DiG-T 115 2WD manual N-Vision on a 3-year PCP with 3.99% REP APR and 10,000 annual mileage is available with £2,250 Nissan Deposit Contribution, £5,325.49 customer deposit and £219 monthly payments.

On 0% REP APR, the same model is offered with £750 Nissan Deposit Contribution, £5,935.87 customer deposit and £199 monthly payments, also on a 3-year PCP and 10,000 annual mileage.

The first generation Nissan Qashqai went on sale in the UK in January 2007. It created and has since dominated the crossover segment – now one of the most popular varieties of car in Europe.

The second, and current generation, Qashqai was launched in 2014 and has continued to be in high demand with customers. In 2016 it was the UK’s fifth best-selling model.

The 10^th anniversary offer runs from 9^th to 31^st of January.

END OF YEAR WORLDWIDE - JAGUAR LAND ROVER - half Million and growing, not bad for the UK based brand.

• Best ever full-year global sales of 583,313 vehicles
• Sales have almost tripled since 2009
• Jaguar sells a record-breaking 148,730 vehicles in 2016, up an extraordinary 77%
• Land Rover retails 434,583 vehicles, up 8% year-on-year
• Record performances in the UK, US and Europe
• Global sales driven by award-winning product portfolio
• More than 200 global awards won in 2016

	Jan – Dec	% increase YOY	15/16 Financial Year	% increase YOY
Jaguar Land Rover	583,313	20%	521,571	13%
Jaguar	148,730	77%	94,449	23%
Land Rover	434,583	8%	427,122	11%

Jaguar Land Rover, the UK's leading manufacturer of premium luxury vehicles achieved its best ever full-year global sales in 2016, selling more than one car every minute with retails of 583,313 vehicles, up 20% on the prior year. 

This is the company’s seventh successive year of growth in sales, with retails in 2016 almost triple the 2009 figure. Sales in December were up 12% compared to the same month last year, with retails of 55,375. 

Retail volumes were up 36% for the month in China – its strongest monthly performance on record.

Jaguar Land Rover’s global performance for the full year 2016 shows a balanced regional portfolio with record retail sales in the UK, North America and Europe.

Europe was the company’s largest sales region in 2016 with annual sales of 138,695, up 26% year on year. Retail sales were up across all other regions: 31% in China, 25% in North America and 17% in the UK. A total of 117,571 Jaguars and Land Rovers were bought by customers in the UK - its best full-year results in the company’s history.

Andy Goss, Jaguar Land Rover Group Sales Operations Director, said: “This has been a significant year for Jaguar Land Rover, with updated models being introduced across the range, as well as the completely new Land Rover Discovery Sport and the Jaguar F-PACE. It is particularly pleasing to see the Jaguar brand setting impressive new sales records.

“Customer response has been very positive this year, resulting in record retails across most of our key regions. These results mark significant steps in Jaguar Land Rover’s strategy to become a truly global business and meet the growing international demand for its two iconic brands.

“I am confident that in 2017 our British line-up will continue to expand and delight in markets across the world.”

Jaguar sales were up an exceptional 77% for the year, retailing 148,730 vehicles. This was the brand’s strongest ever full-year performance and was primarily driven by sales of the Jaguar F-PACE, XE and XF. These new models have propelled Jaguar to become the fastest growing premium brand in the US, outpacing the industry by 116%. Globally, F-PACE sales were especially strong, with 45,973 sold throughout the year. Jaguar received 71 awards in 2016 for its products, with the F-PACE amassing more than a third of these – including Car of the Year by Auto Express. In November, the Jaguar XF won Germany’s top car award, the Golden Steering Wheel, after being voted ‘Best Saloon’ in the Mid-Full-size category.

Land Rover retailed a record 434,583 vehicles in 2016, up 8% up on 2015. The previous Discovery model entered its run-out phase, meaning that sales softened slightly ahead of the all-new Land Rover Discovery going on sale in February 2017. The best-seller for the year was the Discovery Sport, retailing 122,460 vehicles, up 76%. Also notable were sales of the Range Rover Evoque and Range Rover Sport, selling a total of 200,245 vehicles. In 2016, Land Rover received 83 awards for its products, with the Discovery Sport taking home an impressive 33 of these, on top of breaking a Guinness world record in September with the largest ever LEGO structure.

During the year the company celebrated 201 global awards, which included becoming the UK’s largest vehicle manufacturer and being named Britain’s Manufacturer of the Year at the Made in the UK Awards.

In May 2016, Jaguar Land Rover reaffirmed its long-term commitment to the Armed Forces in its role as Presenting Partner of the 2016 Invictus Games in Florida. It was also a significant year for the expansion of Jaguar Land Rover’s manufacturing footprint to support continued growth, with construction beginning on the first British manufacturing facility in Slovakia and with the opening of the company’s new factory in Itatiaia, Brazil. Jaguar Land Rover also introduced the XFL, the first Jaguar developed exclusively for Chinese customers, to its joint venture plant in China.

In December 2016, Jaguar Land Rover launched its fifth consecutive Young Women in the Know programme, to help potential female apprentices build on their engineering skills, knowledge and experience and to give them a deep insight into engineering and manufacturing careers. Jaguar Land Rover’s female engineering workforce has grown from 9% to 11% of the total over the past four years due to initiatives like Young Women in the Know and its Women in Engineering undergraduate sponsorship scheme. In 2017 Jaguar Land Rover will keep working to attract more female talent.

Cars from ten Brands have been hailed best in class after round 1 of the UK Car Of The Year 2017 awards.

• Shortlist for UK Car of the Year 2017 announced – 12 cars from 56 entrants
• Winners in categories from small hatch to performance car, as well as luxury
• Hyundai, Toyota, Renault and SEAT all register first-ever wins in the annual awards
• Overall winner to be announced on 24th February 2017

Cars from ten different manufacturers have been hailed best-in-class after the first round of voting in the UK Car of the Year Awards 2017, supported by Cox Automotive, whose UK brands include Manheim and Motors.co.uk. With the winners of the 12 categories now decided, the successful models go on to battle it out for the title of UK Car of the Year 2017.

Winning their first UK Car of the Year Awards were Hyundai, Toyota, Renault and SEAT. In the Best Small Hatch class, the Hyundai IONIQ beat off stiff competition to win, while the latest generation of Toyota’s Prius was voted Best Family Car. 

Renault’s Scénic/Grand Scénic has been named Best MPV, and in the popular category of Best Crossover the SEAT Ateca took the honours.

The UK Car of the Year Awards 2017 proved fruitful for two German manufacturers, as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche claimed two prizes apiece. In the Best Executive Car category, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class took top spot, while the S-Class Cabriolet was hailed as Best Cabriolet. The Porsche pairing of the 718 Cayman and Boxster were voted Best Coupe and Best Sports Car respectively.

After winning the title of Best Luxury Car in 2015 with its Ghost, Rolls-Royce once again triumphed in the category with the Dawn. At the other end of the driving spectrum, Ford reclaimed the Best Performance Car crown with the Focus RS, having previously won the category in 2014 with the Fiesta ST. Best Estate Car was judged to be Volvo’s V90 and the new Large Crossover category was won by the Jaguar F-Pace.

The overall UK Car of the Year 2017 will be announced on 24th February 2017. Previous winners of the award are: BMW i3 (2014); BMW i8 (2015) and Mazda MX-5 (2016).

Full list of UK Car of the Year Awards 2017 category winners:

Best Small Hatch – Hyundai IONIQ

Best Family Car – Toyota Prius

Best Executive Car – Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Best Luxury Car – Rolls-Royce Dawn

Best Estate Car – Volvo V90

Best MPV – Renault Scénic/Grand Scénic

Best Crossover – SEAT Ateca

Best Large Crossover – Jaguar F-Pace

Best Coupe – Porsche 718 Cayman

Best Cabriolet – Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet

Best Sports Car – Porsche 718 Boxster

Best Performance Car – Ford Focus RS